Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.

The Final Countdown: In which we explain ‘Arrested Development’ episodes, “The One Where Michael Leaves,” “The One Where They Build a House,” & “¡Amigos!”

Michael tells Gob that instead of coming to him saying that he’s made a “huge mistake,” Gob can bail himself out now; Gob denies ever saying that he’s made a mistake, “What would I have made a mistake about?”

After George flees with the suitcase that Gob accidentally hands over to him, Gob tells Michael that he (Michael) has “made a huge mistake.”

Is Tobias Gay?:

Michael warns Lindsay to not expect to come to him with your marital problems saying, “Oh, help me Michael, I think my husband might be a ho…” but Tobias blares the rape horn before Michael can finish his thought

In the master bedroom together, Tobias notes that it’s “nice to be back in a queen”

Tobias explains that he just “blue” himself

Tobias is seen watching Lindsay’s “EZ Keglin” video

arresteddevelopmentwikia.com

Security Camera Footage:

George Sr. is shown escaping in the stair car in a hospital gown

The stair car is shown at a bank

Oscar is attacked in the elevator by the police

Police Brutality: Oscar, thought to be George Sr., is whacked over the head with a baton numerous times by the police:

At an outdoor coffee stand

Outside the police station

In the elevator

In the hospital — but they tackle George disguised as Oscar in this instance

Charlie Brown & Peanuts: Lucille exclaims, “Good grief” when she realizes the police have arrested Oscar, not George

Incest & Inappropriate Relationships: Lucille warns Oscar that he’s not going to sleep in her bed, and Buster and Oscar reply “Okay” simultaneously

Barry’s Secret Life: Barry has a gross growth on his head

http://oedipuswrecked.tumblr.com/

Sexual Puns and Malapropisms:

Talking about the size of the bed in the master bedroom, Tobias notes that it’s “nice to be back in a queen”

James, talking about showing Lindsay a house, suggests that they “start in the kitchen” and when Lindsay suggests instead the master bedroom, he replies “Sure, I’ll meet you up there. I’ve got to make this place smell like cookies. And you should know I am anticipating multiples on this.”

Tobias explains to Michael that he “just blue [himself]“; Michael notes there’s gotta be a better way to say that

Lindsay’s Affairs: Lindsay misunderstands James, the realtor’s intentions and comes on to him

Busting Holes in the Walls:

Gob has an assistant bust holes into the office walls where his pool cue might hit

Michael busts a hole in the wall of the model home in search for something valuable his father might have hid there; instead, he finds a blue Tobias

Bad at Math: Gob’s magic trick at the Bluth Board Meeting, in which he turns $100 in 100 pennies

Gob Can’t Operate a Phone: This is the first time Gob’s inability to use a phone is shown

Iraq & Saddam Hussein:

Michael points out that it’s only a matter of time before the media puts together the Iraq scandal

Fox 6 reports, “Are you living in one of Saddam’s many palaces? They may have been built by the same developer.”

A Michael Moore-esque documentary filmmaker stops Lucille to ask her if her company built houses in Iraq

Gob finds a contract between Saddam Hussein and The Bluth Company in the briefcase in the wall, and describes it to Michael has being, “half in English, half in squibbly.”

Winking: Lucille winks at Michael that it will be difficult to make the Iraq charges stick against the Bluths

Hiding Things in the Walls: Gob discovers the briefcase George hid inside the wall at the Bluth office

Fox 6 & John Beard: John Beard teases a story about Saddam Hussein’s mini-palaces, and a seal that attacked a swimmer

Army:

The Michael Moore-esque documentary filmmaker asks Lucille if she’d “enroll [her] son or daughter in the Army” and looking at Buster, she replies, “Yes”

Buster complains to Michael that Lucille volunteered him for the Army, “just because the fat man dared her to.”

Blue Paint:

Tobias covers himself in blue paint for his audition with the Blue Man Group

Tobias leaves blue handprints and smears of blue paint all over the model home

Tobias leaves a blue hand print on Michael’s shirt, similar to the red one Gob left in “Missing Kitty”

Never Nude: Tobias is wearing his cut-offs when he blues himself

keyridan.tumblr.com

Car Accidents: Tobias is hit by Barry’s car because he couldn’t be seen at dusk

Wonderful Things: When Lindsay asks Michael what the last thing Tobias said, Michael replies, “some wonderful things” rather than admit it was “I just blue myself”; similarly, Michael told his mother that his father had said “some wonderful things” in “Visiting Ours” rather than the truth that his father had said, “Daddy horny”

Who wants to go to the hospital?: This begins a series of episodes in which Tobias ends his storyline with a trip to the hospital

Literal Doctor:

The Literal Doctor tells the Bluths that Tobias “looks like he’s dead.” But Michael asks for clarification and Literal Doctor explains, “It just looks like he’s dead. He’s got like blue paint on him or something. But he’s going to be fine.”

The Literal Doctor tells Lindsay that she looks “really hot”; he’s referring to the fact that she has a fever

Wigs: George Sr. uses Annyong’s Uncle Sam wig to disguise himself as Oscar and escape

“Having the Time of My Life”: Barry, in prison, recreates George Sr.’s prison scene in “Pilot” when he explains to Michael that he is having the time of his life, and greets a passing prisoner, “Dr. Hate”

Lindsay’s Parentage: When Michael describes the family as ”a bunch of greedy, selfish people who have our nose. And Aunt Lindsay,” George Michael is hopeful that Lindsay is not his biological aunt.

tumblr.com

Buster’s Parentage: Buster’s true parentage by Oscar is hinted at several times in this episode, always accompanied by dramatic music:

At the jail, Buster says, “They said my father was here.” And Oscar knowingly asks, “Did they?”

After inviting Oscar to move in with him and Lucille, Buster adds that she’s the one always saying he needs a “father figure,” and Oscar knowingly responds, “Yes, a father figure.”

When Buster considers growing his hair long, he notes that he would look like Oscar. “More than you’ll ever know,” replies Oscar

Seals: John Beard and Fox 6 tease a story about a seal attack

Hidden Jokes:

H.O.O.P. Shirt: Lindsay is wearing a H.O.O.P (Hands Off Our Penises) shirt at her monkey-freedom rally, for a charity mentioned in “Pilot”

thebluthcompany.tumblr.com

EZ Keglin with Joyce Keglin: Lindsay’s “exercise” are actually Kegels. And after a conversation with Michael, she says to herself, “And release…”

Hair Brushing: Early in the episode, Lucille complains that Buster doesn’t brush her hair anymore; she is shown brushing her own hair when Michael comes to talk to her about the pending charges against the family

Gob & George W. Bush: After discovering the briefcase in the Bluth office wall, the narrator notes, “Seven minutes had passed since G.O.B. had discovered the documents,” and we find Gob still sitting in the same place. This is a spoof of George W. Bush’s immediate response to learning of the September 11 attacks, in which he remained in a school room for some seven minutes, reading “My Pet Goat” — a reaction that was featured in Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 911.

Synopsis: Michael comes up with a plan to build a second home to raise funds for the company; Buster joins the Army to get away from Lucille and Oscar; Lindsay makes a new friend

What to watch for:

Callbacks and Recurring Jokes:

Friends: The episode title is a play on Friends-style episode titles which all began with “The One …”

Blue Man Group: Tobias auditions for Blue Man Group, he has yet to hear back from them (note: Tobias performs a song — Blue Man Group do not sing)

Tobias’ Audition: Tobias’ audition for Blue Man group is cut off right before his song begins, similar to his audition in “Pilot”

Blue Paint:

Tobias is in blue paint throughout the episode, allowing him to spy on Lindsay

There are blue paint smears and marks throughout the house

Ann Veal:

When George Michael asks if he can bring Ann to the ribbon cutting, Michael asks, “Who?” He then claims to have not met Ann, though George Michael and the narrator correct him that he, in fact, has

Michael is disgusted when George Michael describes Ann’s “mayonegg”

“Her?” Michael asks for the first time when George Michael declares that he wants to buy her a diamond

When George Michael explains he’s heard about this diamond cream from Lindsay, Michael calls Ann, “Egg,” and explains that he doesn’t want George Michael getting her all glittered up for Easter

Gob refers to Ann as a “little dude” who “doesn’t look good” in the newspaper story

Eggs:

Ann Veal eats a hard-boiled egg

George Michael describes how she likes to eat “mayoneggs”

Michael calls Ann “Egg”

Michael warns George Michael against getting Ann “all glittered up for Easter”

Kitty talks about how many eggs she’s been eating, and attributes it to her unconscious desire to have a baby

“I don’t have any problem with that”:

When George Michael reminds his father that Gob is president of Bluth Company, Michael replies “I don’t have any problem with that”

This also serves as the caption to Michael’s photograph in the newspaper

Gob tells Michael that George Sr. wanted to talk to the president of the company, and Michael replies, “I have no problem with that”

When Gob announces that he’s going to cut the ribbon, the narrator explains that “Michael had a problem with that”

Michael relents and tells Gob to cut the ribbon, and that he has “no problem with that”

Newspapers:

George Sr.’s escape is featured above an article about Gob taking over as president of The Bluth Company

The newspaper runs a story about the ribbon-cutting with the headline “Bluth House Falls Apart, As Does Family”

Cloudmir Vodka:

There is a bottle of Cloudmir in Gob’s office

There is a Cloudmir sign on the liquor store where Lindsay and Thomas Jane go to buy a drink

Tobias disguises himself against a Cloudmir sign

Rock, Paper, Scissors:

Gob and Michael play “Rock, Paper, Scissors” to determine who gets to tell the board about Michael’s business model

Gob and Michael then play it to determine if Gob can keep The Seaward

Gob chases Michael with the ribbon-cutting novelty scissors, and Michael defends himself with Starla’s rock, only to have the (news)paper cover the whole thing

tumblr.com

The Seaward: The name of the boat that Gob buys, and the clever play on words about Lucille. (See above.) Additionally, the boat The Seaward replaces was called the Lucille.

Banners:

“Blue Man Group Auditions Today”

Boat show banner reads, “Nothing creates the illusion of Success like a Boat”

The DJ’s sign at the ribbon cutting reads: “Events Elegance.com • Let us handle your event. • D.J.’s, Live Music, Catering, Floral Arrangements, Valet Parking, Invitations, Un-Invitations, Gift Baskets, Basket Cases, Clean up Crews, Preparations Crew, Funeral Services, and what ever [sic] else will make your party a party to remember! • There is no event too small and no budget too…”

“Mission Accomplished” — this is the first use of this banner

Solid as a Rock:

Starla is first seen at the boat show, holding a sign that reads “Solid as a Rock”

Starla is wheeled into the Bluth board meeting on a rock, holding her sign as the song, “Solid” plays, and she declares, “Bluth Homes, solid as a rock!”

Michael reminds Gob that “a rock” sounds a lot like “Iraq”

Starla is pushed out on her rock to introduce Gob at the ribbon cutting, as the song, “Solid” plays

Sexual Puns and Malapropisms: Tobias promises to make Starla a “firm offer”

Incest & Inappropriate Relationships: Oscar and Lucille reignite an old relationship, and are caught multiple times by Buster

Blue Dot: A blue dot is shown covering Oscar’s bits; in “Missing Kitty,” Gob assures Michael that George Michael’s face will be obscured in the Girls with Low Self-Esteem videos with a blue dot

Buster Witnessing His Parents Having Sex: Buster bears witness to Lucille and Oscar three times in this episode, similar to Gob being forced to watch George Sr. and Lucille in “Visiting Ours”

Hole in Buster’s Heart: During his physical for the Army, Buster mentions the hole in his heart

Buster’s Unusual Genitalia: … and his “reproductive organ” which he describes as being shaped like a “lobster tail without its shell”

Mexico: George Sr. and Kitty have fled to Mexico

“Mommy, What Will I Look Like?”: An image of Kitty and George Sr.’s potential child is provided via Lindsay’s photo service.

Huge Mistake: George Sr., tired of Kitty, says that he has “made a huge mistake”

Portugal: Michael, realizing that Gob had George Sr. on the phone, asks where he was calling from. Gob replies that he doesn’t know, “Portugal? Down South America way.”

Police Brutality: The Mexican police tackle George Sr., thinking he is Oscar, for whom they want for marijuana-related charges

No Hablan Español & Hermano: George Sr., however doesn’t speak Spanish, and explains they are looking for his “brothero”

Blendin: In blue paint, Tobias rides on a Blendin Moving and Storage truck to spy on Lindsay

“You’re Gross”: Lindsay tells Thomas Jane that he’s gross when she thinks he’s homeless, mirroring what she said to Johnny Bark, the tree protestor in “Key Decisions”

Charlie Brown & Peanuts: Buster complains that they touched his “charlie browns” during the Army physical

Missing Limbs: Oscar offers to cut off Buster’s pinkie to get him out of serving in the Army

thebluthcompany.tumblr.com

Gob’s Magic Shows: Gob throws pennies at the board meeting to impress the employees, again

Fox 6: When Lucille and Oscar are caught rolling around on the beach together, FOX 6 reports that she was giving a homeless man mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, under the headline “Mouth to Vermouth”

Rape Horn: Lucille calls Michael to tell him that Oscar forced himself on her and she “didn’t have [her] horn”

I’m George! I’m Oscar!: George is mistaken for Oscar by the Mexican police

Cornballer: The Mexican police recognize George Bluth from the Cornballer, which they have all been burned by

The Missing “P”: The P on Gob’s “President” bag falls off, making it read “resident”; this is similar to the missing “H” from the Visiting Hours sign in “Let ‘Em Eat Cake” and later in “Motherboy” the ship the U.S.S. Enterprise is missing its “P”

“I bleeped”: Gob proudly announces that he “bleeped” the business model

Gob Lies about Sex: The narrator assures us that he merely made out with the business model; similar to how he lied about having sex with Gob’s Wife in “Altar Egos”

Mispronunciation of Gob’s Name: Starla, introducing Gob at the ribbon-cutting, pronounces his name “Gahb”

Gob & George W. Bush: Gob is lowered down to the ribbon cutting with a banner reading “Mission Accomplished” draped across the house, mirroring Bush’s infamous appearance on an aircraft carrier when he declared the war in Iraq over. It was not over.

Gob Can’t Operate a Phone: Gob accidentally hangs up on George Sr., intending to put him on speaker

George Sr. in Prison: Despite escaping American prisons, George Sr. finds himself in a Mexican one

George Sr. is Dead?: George Sr. is reported dead on Los Mas Buscados de Mexico

Who Wants to go to the Hospital?: Tobias has to go to the hospital to vacuum the diamond dust out of his lungs

Future References:

Buster’s Parentage:

When Oscar moves into Lucille’s apartment, he brings his belongings tied in a sheet like Buster did in “Marta Complex”

Oscar assures Lucille that “he knows where the boy came from,” and she looks down at his Blue Dot

Ice, Bounty Hunter: There are many prominent signs for ice outside the liquor store

Quincy Jones: Starla’s “Q” necklace is explained in the next episode

Hidden Jokes:

Señor Tadpole’s: Kitty is wearing a Señor Tadpole’s t-shirt, the restaurant where they make the margarita in your mouth

Photo of Gob: Gob has a photograph of himself with a banana in the office that is similar to the photo of George Sr. in the board room

Yamaka Tan Line: George has a yamaka tan in Mexico

They Shoot Heroin Don’t They?: Thomas Jame’s gritty personal project, from the creators of “Dangerous Cousins.” The title is based on They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, “horse” being a nickname for heroin

Tobias’ Diamond Shirt: The shirt Tobias is wearing when he is covered in the diamond cream is the same shirt Lindsay wore to the bar earlier in the episode

Notes: There are quite a few continuity errors in this episode: The Banana Stand is shown to have been started in 1963, but in “Pilot” it is said it started in 1953; Kitty’s lopsided boobs are gone; and the Bluth Company begins “Stage 2″ in this episode, when they were working on “Stage 3″ in “Staff Infection”

When Lindsay, referring to Ice, says, “Hey, check out who’s on that hog in the rearview mirror,” an alarmed Michael barks at George Michael

Michael mistakes another girl for Ann when he returns to Mexico

When Ann notes that she was sitting in one place the whole time and hadn’t run off like Michael suggested, George Michael responds, “Way to plant, Ann!” and Michael orders that George Michael and Plant go wait in the car

“What is that?” Gob asks about Ann, “His girlfriend? What, is she funny or something?”

“It Will Be an Adventure!”: Michael describes the trip to Mexico as an adventure. He will use this turn of phrase again in “Hand to God”

Blue Man Group: Tobias is on standby for the Blue Man Group, thus, he keeps his head painted blue

http://blog.zap2it.com/

Chicken Dance:

Gob does the chicken dance in response to a child selling Chiclets

Gob’s chicken dance is considered a very “inflammatory gesture” in Mexico as shown in an old film

Gob does the chicken dance, reminded of the last time he had done it in Mexico and gotten into a lot of trouble. He is promptly tackled by Gene Parmesan

Shooting into the air:

In the 1927 clip, two men fire their guns into the air, and the piano player drops dead

When George Sr. is declared dead, a man fires a gun into the air, and a pedestrian drops to the ground

Charlie Brown & Peanuts: Lucille gives Buster a camcorder so he can record it when they “put [him] into a naked pyramid and point to [his] charlie browns,” and Buster replies that he should point to Uncle Oscar’s “charlie browns” the next time she is on top of him

Incest & Inappropriate Relationships:

Buster notes that he should point to Oscar’s “charlie browns” the next time Lucille is on top of him

Maeby, talking about her mother hitting on Ice, asks, “Why does anyone have to date anyway?” and Michael responds, ”Isn’t family enough for people?”

Michael tells George Michael that Maeby is a “hell of a girl,” and notes that it’s a shame he can’t date her. George Michael, alarmed, asks Michael if he “”would have a problem with that?”

Saddam Hussein & Iraq: Lucille’s “naked pyramid” remark is a reference to the torture that took place in Abu Ghrabid.

Casual Racism:

Buster assumes he is in Mexico when, in fact, he is at his maid’s home in Santa Ana

Maeby, upset that her mother is interested in Ice, notes that “it’s not a race thing”

Buster, in a van headed to a dishwasher job, exclaims that this is “like we’re slave buddies!”

Gene Parmesan disguises himself as a Mexican with a sombrero, but uses a terrible Italian accent

No Hablan Español: Buster, believing he is in Mexico, speaks to his maid and her family in English, but in a “Mexican” accident

Missing Limbs: Buster’s hand chair, which he finds in Lupe’s house, causing him to note that he never thought he’d miss a hand so much

Hop-Ons: Mexicans are using the stair car to hop over the border

Is George Sr. Dead?: Kitty holds a funeral for George Sr. who had been declared dead earlier

Tackling:

Ice tackles Michael

Ice tackles Tobias

Gob tackles Michael

Gene Parmesan tackles Gob

Ice tackles Michael again

Blue Myself: Tobias, preparing for the Blue Man Group show, explains to Gob that he “blue myself early, I’d be nice and relaxed for a 9:00 dinner reservation”

Who wants to go to the hospital?: After being tackled by Ice and having Ice’s “knee on [his] heart,” Tobias asks who wants to go to the hospital

Future References:

Buster’s Parentage: When Lucille claims that Buster is upset that he thinks she is having an affair with his uncle, Oscar notes that she’s not having an affair with Buster’s uncle

Blue George Sr.: The picture of George Sr. that Michael uses to locate his father is printed on blueprint, foreshadowing George Sr. joining Blue Man Group

The Hand Chair: Upon seeing the hand chair, Buster, missing his own hand chair notes, “I never thought I’d miss a hand so much.”

Tobias as George: Ice mistakes Tobias for George Sr. whom Tobias will eventually play on a television show

Hidden Jokes:

Cornballer:

There is a Cornballer box in the storage room Michael is using as an office

A Cornballer ad can be seen on a wall in Mexico

Motivational Posters:

“Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes”: When it falls off the wall, Gob says he’s not going to beat himself over it

“Never Give Up”: When it falls off the wall, Gob says, “(Bleep) it, just leave it where it is”

“Keep an Open Mind”: Is over Michael’s shoulder while he talks to Ann on the phone, before he admits to Gob that he doesn’t like her

Spanish Translations: The translations that the show provides are not exact:

Chicken Dance film: “Usted baila como un hombre que vive como mujer.” The subtitles say it means, “You dance like a homosexual,” but it translates literally to “You dance like a man who lives like a woman”

Lupe’s complaint: Lupe says, “Ahora tengo que cuidar para retardo.” The subtitles read “So now I must take care of Buster,” but the literal translation is, “Now I have to take care of retard.”

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.